Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 7

This week’s trip was to visit a place I have never been before, and the destination I chose was Newport Beach in Orange County since one of my roommates is from there. The drive took about an hour from UCLA to Newport Beach, heading south on the 405. When driving off the freeway, the first view was the “Back Bay” as it is called by locals, allowing for quite a scenic view with the city is located right alongside the coast.

Newport Beach is definitely a more automobile oriented city, other than joggers there were not many pedestrians on the street. Driving through the neighborhoods did have a more suburban feel to it. My first impression was of the well maintained overall feel of the neighborhoods. They were situated in peaceful areas, with tall trees and had a bit more variation of houses than in my previous suburban trips. The houses seemed to all be at least two-story high, and most of them had a front or back yard or had a nearby park, which allowed for more natural space in the area.

There were also different types of communities; some of them were gated and private, while others were more family-oriented. The residential area I visited was setup in a manner that facilitated access to schools, churches, as well as stores such as Ralphs within walking distance. The gated communities definitely stood out as well, especially when driving by with their ostentatious gates and houses with much fancier décor. These details were indicators of it being an area for a more affluent demographic when compared to the cities I had previously visited.

Moreover, another detail that stood out to me was the Spanish words use to denominate streets. My curiosity led me to inquire my friend about me, and she informed me that it was due to the historical Spanish influence in that area. However, this is a changing phenomenon with the development of new neighborhoods and streets.

I also had the opportunity to visit other parts of Orange County to have a better understanding of the city. These places included Fashion Island, Balboa Board Walk and “El Ranchito” restaurant in Corona del Mar. These were more commercial areas, which allowed me to interact with the community. The first place we went was Fashion Island, a higher-end shopping center located in Newport Beach, which contained renowned brand name stores. I would describe it as a mélange between the “Westfield Century City Mall” and “the Grove.” I was informed that this shopping center has been constantly renovating and bringing in better known stores in order to maintain its high class status, which has definitely been achieved. Many people come from neighboring cities to this center, making this place more of a destination than a local mall. The Starbucks at this shopping center even offers Valet parking to its clients, and there were innumerable of Louis Vuitton bags that were counted, seem to establish the type of place it is.

Later on, we went to Balboa Boardwalk and took the ferry to the peninsula as well. We walked for about an hour, just observing the different houses and their unique holiday decorations. Most houses put in a lot of effort to maintain the boardwalk culture, while other houses serve as holiday rentals for people who want to live right by the water. There were many yachts parked in front of the houses, as it seems there is a big sailing and surfing culture in the area. I also noted that a large number of houses carried Trojan Flags, which as my friend informed me, is due to the large USC community. Afterward, we had dinner at “El Ranchito,” a Mexican restaurant in Corona del Mar. The restaurant was nicely decorated and had a homey atmosphere. After visiting these different places in the O.C., I certainly noticed the demographics, which consists of a majority of Caucasians and a high number of Asians as well. I noticed a lesser percentage of Hispanics, while African Americans were definitely only a select few. Due to the demographics and socioeconomic status of the region, Orange County is a very politically conservative place.

However, it seems that there is an increasing number of immigrants coming to the O.C. According to the Los Angeles Times’ article “O.C. center for refugees gets expansive new quarters,” St. Anselm's Cross-Cultural Community Center helps people from many countries adjust to life in the United States with diverse offerings that include marriage counseling and personal finances. This indicates that there are more people from different cultures arriving to the area and this could start changing some aspects of the Orange County community.

Furthermore, I do agree with the readings from Rob Kling, Spencer Olin, and Mark Poster, especially the section titled “Orange County as a Subject of Inquiry,” It talks about the future of Orange County and the direction it seems to be heading with a developing technological hub and the migration of other businesses to the area. This creates a different identity for Orange County as it is not solely a suburban rural area, yet it is not entirely urban either. This will be an interesting place for social scientists to analyze and further determine what will become of Orange County and we should definitely keep an eye out for it.